The city was engulfed in yet another well-known cycle of pain as the skies descended over Karachi once more: flooded highways, damaged infrastructure, power outages, collapsing homes, stranded residents, and fatalities. Following Tuesday’s rain, at least ten people lost their lives, many of them as a result of avoidable incidents like wall collapses and electrocution. Entire neighborhoods were left without energy for over 16 hours; some people claim they are still without power. Flights were also halted, and mobile phone and internet networks were impacted. All of this took place in the biggest city in Pakistan, which is also its financial hub and ostensibly its main economic engine. Indeed, the rainfall was exceptionally high; in a few hours, some places received over 170 mm, which is well above the city’s drainage capacity. Indeed, in the era of climate change, extreme weather occurrences are no longer an exception but rather a predictable reality. But what justification is there for Karachi’s civic machinery to become paralyzed whenever it rains? Why does even a small amount of rainfall cause highways to become rivers and leave millions of people powerless? Karachi is failing at the fundamentals, not only keeping up with climate change. The city’s infrastructure is dilapidated, groaning, and woefully insufficient.
The water supply must be purchased, drainage channels are blocked or obstructed, no road is smooth, and electricity is provided more as a favor than a right. Although K-Electric’s “precautionary” shutdowns make sense in theory, millions of people are left without power for hours on end, frequently long after the rain has stopped, revealing the incompetence and indifference that the public is all too familiar with. Traffic jams and inundated underpasses added to the turmoil on the highways, detaining families for hours without any sign of an emergency response. Even worse than the infrastructure is the lack of political will. Various governments have seen Karachi as an afterthought for decades. It is understandable that the city’s residents believe their lives are worthless in the state’s eyes. A metropolis that makes a significant financial contribution to Pakistan is worthy of more than crisis management and lip attention. Drainage cannot be “improved” by just clearing away rubbish prior to the monsoon and crossing one’s fingers. Land use and housing need a radical rethink, storm water drains need to be modified, encroachment on the sea must halt, and citizens’ fundamental rights—housing, water, energy, connectivity, and a safe commute—must be secured.
It is true that Pakistan is no longer the only country experiencing urban flooding; record rainfall has also overwhelmed places like Dubai and New York, which have top-notch infrastructure. However, mild showers as well as very heavy rains cause Karachi to flood. Not simply climate change, but intentional disregard is reflected in that. The choice at hand is clear: will we finally make plans for resilience, or will we keep waiting for tragedy after disaster, witnessing cities submerge and lives lost year after year? In the upcoming years, Karachi will experience more heavy rainfall events due to climate change. We have two options: either the city keeps collapsing or we reconstruct it in a way that values the lives of its residents.
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